Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears
by Janet12
Summary: Sequel to 'Stand Your Ground'. Please read that story first. Vidia's wings were torn off by a hawk - now she and her friends have seven and a half days to find the only cure for her wings. But the only Firebird Tears left are in a hidden cave filled with vicious, fairy-devouring bats. Rated T for said injury
1. To Desolate Pinnacle

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject matter doesn't belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 1**

**To Desolate Pinnacle**

**This story is a sequel. It may be confusing if you have not yet read 'Stand Your Ground'.**

**See my profile for a chronological list** **of my Vidia series.**

**Thanks, M.J.J.**

"You can go now, Vidia. I'm very sorry about your wings." Flo was a nursing-talent fairy, and was trying to be nice to Vidia.

"Thanks." Vidia replied, grudgingly. She walked to the Tearoom, where she sat alone, waiting.

A very kind confectioner-talent fairy offered sympathy and cookies, of which Vidia only took the cookies.

"Hey, Vidia!" Fawn flew in and suddenly dropped to the floor and walked over to her. Rosetta and Iridessa quickly followed suit.

"The healer fairies finally discharged you?" Iridessa asked.

"Ah, you know Vidia!" Rosetta smiled. "She probably bugged them about it until they threw her out."

Vidia snorted. "I'll have you know I didn't give 'em any trouble at all." she looked around. "Where's Scruffy?"

"Weell, dear . . ." Rosetta began, awkwardly.

"Some of the fairies are a little bit scared of him." Fawn finished.

"Oh. Well, I can understand, might be a little scary – a big, fluffy, friendly, talking rat -" Vidia paused. "I don't understand."

"Neither do I." Fawn confided, quietly. "But he's perfectly happy outside with Tink and Sil."

"Vidia?" A brown haired fairy was hovering next to her.

"Yeah. You're Lyria, aren't you?"

"Yes. We haven't actually met, but everyone knows who you are." Lyria smiled.  
"I was just about to say that about you."  
"Well, I'm just a storyteller. I don't want to raise your hopes -"

"Raise what hopes?" Vidia could feel her heart beating faster.

"I have heard of a near-impossible way that your wings could be restored." Lyria confessed. "I wouldn't have told you until I research, but it says that it only works in the first fifteen days of the harm done, and that means you have to hurry!"

"What?" Iridessa sprang into the air. "Restored?"

"What do we need?" Fawn asked.

Lyria sighed. "Firebird tears."

"Where do we get them?" Rosetta queried.

"I'm afraid I don't know." Lyria admitted. "I only know what is necessary to tell a good story."

"Let's ask Tome!" Rosetta suggested. Fawn looked puzzled. "He's a scribe-talent sparrowman. He works in the Library."

"What're we waiting for?" Vidia sprinted out of the Tearoom.

"Good luck!" Lyria called as they left.

"Nice to see you, Vidia." Scruffy flew over, his coat sparkling with pixie dust.

"How are you, Vidia?" Silvermist asked, kindly.

"Fair enough." Vidia climbed up onto Scruffy's back. "To the Library!" she directed.

"I didn't know you liked the library, Vidia." Tinkerbell was surprised.

"Neither do I." Vidia grinned. "I've never been there. Let's go, Scruffy!"

**Stand Your Ground**

Tome directed the fairies to an old book full of legendary tales, covered in dust (not pixie dust), and apparently was so heavy that the bookworms couldn't get in.

Tinkerbell put it on the table and opened it to the chapter titled 'Mythical Birds'.

"Roc, Thunderbird, Phoenix." she flipped through the pages. "Strix . . . Aha! Firebird." she pointed.

"Firebird: a glowing magical bird. Both a blessing and bringer of doom to it's captor." Silvermist read. "Sounds dangerous."

"The tears of a firebird are a cure for any condition for small animals and fairies. Has no effect on humans." Iridessa read, excitedly. "Sounds good!"

"Aged firebird tears can only heal fairy wings within fifteen days of the injury. Fresh ones are untested."

"It says heal – not restore." Rosetta pointed out. "It might not work on Vidia at all."

"That's good enough for me." Vidia decided. "Where are the firebirds?"

Tinkerbell turned back to the page. "All the remaining firebirds have died or disappeared . . ."

"Oh, well, that's helpful!" Vidia sat back, disappointed.

"But – there was a sparrowman who went on a quest to get firebird tears for a gravely injured friend." Tink continued, "He did get one, but on his way through the Shadow Shelter, a cave, he dropped the vial."

"Why did he do that?" Rosetta demanded. "His poor friend!"

"He was attacked by vicious bats, and had to fly away."

"Vicious bats?" Rosetta squealed.

"We need to think this through." Iridessa seconded.

"Where is the Shadow Shelter, anyway?" Fawn asked.

"The main entrance to the Shadow Shelter collapsed a century ago, but there was another, smaller entrance hidden at the base of a mountain – Desolate Pinnacle."

"Are you sure no one ever found the vial?" Silvermist checked.

"It says here that he was the last fairy ever to enter that cave." Tink informed them.

"Well, let's give it a go." Scruffy suggested.

"Hang on. Let me get this clear. We are looking for a Firebird tear, which may or may not help Vidia, which may or may not still exist, in a cave which may or may not still exist, which we must enter by an entrance we may or may not find, which may or may not still exist. Anything else?" Iridessa asked.

"We've only got seven days to do it in." Vidia replied.

"Seven and a half." Scruffy corrected.

"Oh. Well, I would take some time to argue about it, but since we're on a schedule, let's go!" Iridessa darted off, and the others followed.

**Stand Your Ground**

"There it is." Rosetta peered into the dim evening. "Desolate Pinnacle!"

"It does look desolate." Silvermist noted. "There aren't many plants or animals around."

"So the entrance is hidden in the base." Vidia leaned forward so see more clearly over Scruffy's ears.

"It's too dark to look now, Vidia." Tinkerbell told her, gently. "We'll have to wait until morning."

"Yeah." Vidia paused. "Of course. Come on, Scruffy – that looks like a good place to camp." She pointed.

Scruffy landed too fast, and scrabbled his claws against the ground, trying to slow to a stop. He had gotten better at flying, but still wasn't good at landing smoothly. Vidia slid off his back.

They ate dinner quickly, then all settled down to sleep.

Scruffy curled up, then lifted his head and twisted around to look at Vidia. "Vidia?"

"Yeah?" she looked over at Scruffy.

"Goodnight."

"Oh, shut up!" Vidia turned over and covered her ears. The other fairies looked at her in surprise.

"No, come on, Vidia. Goodnight . . ."

"Stop it."

"We've been through this before, Vidia." Scruffy poked her gently. "Come on . . ."

"I'm _trying_ to sleep."

"Pleeeaase."

"All right! Okay! Fine! Good night! Now go to sleep!" Vidia said, emphatically.

Scruffy curled up, pleased, and went to sleep.


	2. Unfriendly Creatures

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters do not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 2**

**Unfriendly Creatures**

**Seven Days Left**

"Hey, buddy!" Fawn jumped onto a mushroom and waved at a wasp flying by. He turned in a friendly manner, but then paused and raced away in disgust. Fawn slid to sit on the stump and looked around. "Why didn't he come down?" she wondered, aloud, then pulled on a leaf. "Rosetta, what's this?"

"That's Mint." Rosetta answered.

"Oh, that explains it." Fawn walked back over to her friends.

"Anyway . . ." Vidia said, rolling her eyes. "Back to the search."

"I guess everything is pretty much settled. We'll meet back here at noon." Tink said. The other fairies nodded, and started to fly away.

The other fairies jumped into the air and left golden pixie dust trails as well. Even Scruffy clumsily launched himself into the air. Vidia got to her feet and walked into the grasses.

"Why would it bother me that they are all flying around looking for the entrance and I'm stuck down here going as slowly as a snail?" she asked herself, upset. She noticed a snail looking at her with a sad expression. She paused and considered apologizing, but pushed the thought away and kept walking.

She climbed slowly onto the top of a log and sat on top, panting. She glanced back over her shoulder and could still see the camp. "It takes so incredibly long to go such a short distance on the ground." she said, disappointed. She stared longingly at the sky, then slid down off the log.

Suddenly, she heard a deafening buzzing sound, coming from all around her. She stared, her heart pounding in her ears. She'd just jumped into a wasp nest. Wasp nests were dangerous enough to a fairy who could fly, and for a grounded one . . .

_This is it. I'm a goner. _Vidia thought, then realized none of the wasps had noticed her. She took a step backward, and bumped into something. She whirled, facing an enormous wasp.

"AH!" she jumped away.

All the wasps stopped what they were doing and stared at her, not blinking their enormous eyes.

Vidia's quick breathing was the only noise she could hear. She swallowed, then plucked up courage.

"Hi, there. I didn't mean any harm by dropping in -" she paused. None of them had moved. "I don't know if you can understand me." She glanced around. "Well, it was nice meeting you. I'll be moving on."

The wasps just stared at her.

"Goodbye." she turned her back to them and walked away.

She didn't look back, but the wasps didn't follow. She waited until she was out of sight to break into a run.

"I cannot believe that just happened. I thought wasps were dangerous! I fell into their home and got out scott-free!"

She stopped dead in her tracks and mentally took the words back. Three wasps stood in her path – not ones from the hive she'd landed on, but new ones. They were buzzing fiercely, and did not look pleased.

She stepped away. "I sure hope you're like your friends back there."

One wasp advanced threateningly.

Vidia ran a few steps back and picked up a stick, waving it in front of her. "You stay back!" she warned.

The wasp flew into the air and landed directly in front of her. He reached out with one arm and grabbed one end of her stick. She tugged on it, but he was very strong. She let go just as the wasp swung it away with such strength that it splintered and broke when it hit the ground. She was certain she would have been flung headlong if she had been holding onto it.

She turned and ran blindly away from the bees. She could hear them buzzing loudly. She took a turn and found a large bush right in front of her. She stopped, and the bee slammed into her. She was thrown into the air.

Bruised and scratched, she rolled to a stop against the thick stem of a pretty little plant. It looked familiar, and she frowned, remembering,

"_Rosetta, what's this?"_

"_That's mint."_

"_Oh, that explains it."_

Vidia grabbed a leaf and pulled it off the stem. She crushed part of the leaf in her fist and held it up to the wasp. "Have some mint!" she shouted, defiantly.

He flew a few feet away, then came back, not quite giving up on his prey.

She tore the rest of the leaf to shreds and tossed the pieces in the air as he came at her. He buzzed loudly and all three of the wasps took off.

Vidia got another good sized mint leaf, and tore it into a strong strip, which she tied around her waist for a belt, and tucked some more pieces of mint into it, just to be safe.

"Safe from wasps." she said, aloud. "What's next?"

She strode off.

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

Vidia's eyes scanned the ground for any kind of depression or hole. A chipmunk hopped over a clump of grass toward her. She grabbed a stick and flourished it. He looked positively insulted, and bounced away in a huff.

Vidia shook her head and turned, startled, as a mouse ran into the clearing and stared at her, wide eyed.

"Stay back!" she warned, but the mouse just looked more scared. Vidia lowered the stick. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned, lowering her stick and taking a step forward. The mouse squeaked something.

"I don't speak mouse." Vidia said, clearly, hoping the mouse could understand her a little. "I don't understand you." W_hat are mice and chipmunks both scared of__? __I hope it isn't a snake – or a hawk. Not a hawk – please, not a hawk._

The mouse squeaked, panicked, then suddenly launched itself at her, knocking her down.

"Hey!" Vidia pushed it off. "Get away!" she started to get up, but then she spotted it.

The weasel stepped gracefully into the clearing and started looking around. He paused, then jumped a few paces. Then he stopped again, cocking his head as he listened. Vidia lowered herself back to the ground, staring at it.

She glanced behind her at the little white mouse, who had hidden itself in a hollow log. She nodded her thanks, then crawled quietly underneath a plant of droopy grasses that hid her from sight.

She briefly considered sharing a hiding spot with the mouse, but realized it might get the little critter into trouble, and he'd been very brave to try to warn her, especially when she was armed – with a stick."

Vidia peeked around the side of a blade of grass. The weasel was still sniffing around. Vidia suddenly noticed the young tree nearby. It still had fairly pliable limbs . . .

_You're thinking like Tinkerbell._ Vidia scolded herself. She glanced out again, and didn't see the creature anywhere. She narrowed her eyes and stepped forward. She heard the mouse give a frantic squeak – too late.

"Ahh!" Vidia screamed in shock as the weasel lifted her by the collar of her shirt.

Suddenly, the weasel shook her. She screamed again, scared. _He's trying to break my neck._ She realized. _He's trying to kill me._


	3. Raggedy and Nibbles

**Disclaimer: All recognizable characters do not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 3**

**Raggedy and Nibbles**

_Suddenly, the weasel shook her. She screamed again, scared. He's trying to break my neck. She realized. __He's trying to kill me._

The concept of being killed and eaten suddenly became very real. She twisted around wildly, then held onto his nose for dear life and kicked him in the throat with both feet. His teeth opened slightly, and the feathery fabric slid from his mouth. Vidia held onto his nose, staring at the drop to the ground. He swung his head around, and her hands slipped. She flew into the air and crashed into the small tree she had noticed earlier. The weasel rubbed his neck, but advanced.

Vidia grabbed onto the bark of the tree and started climbing. The weasel reached the base and started climbing up much faster than she was. She knew she couldn't reach the lowest branch before he could dig his claws into her. She tried to climb faster, but almost slipped and fell. She paused, trying to catch her breath, and glanced back at the weasel. She gasped and started climbing again – he was only inches behind her.

She felt something whiz past her shoulder, and at first thought that the weasel had almost gotten her, but she looked down and saw he had stopped climbing, and was nursing a sore head. She looked up and saw the chipmunk she had met before holding several large acorns. He jerked his head in a 'come on' gesture.

He continued pelting the unfortunate but persistent weasel with acorns until Vidia got up to where he was. She pulled herself up onto the branch and he chittered something and pointed to a small hole in the tree – obviously where the nuts were stored, and also a good hiding place. It looked small enough for the weasel to be unable to get in, but Vidia wasn't sure.

"No." she shook her head. "If he can't fit in he'll just wait there until we come out."

The chipmunk didn't seem to understand, and kept pointing to the hole.

Vidia shook her head, and put her hands on her hips, but her right hand landed on the mint strips she had tucked in her belt.

_Do weasels like mint? I guess they do._ She dismissed the leaves as a repellent, but then looked back at the end of the branch.

"I've got it!" the chipmunk jumped at her exclamation. Vidia put her hand on it's shoulder. "Slow down the weasel." she instructed, slowly.

The chipmunk shook his head, not understanding. She pointed to the acorns, then the weasel. Then he understood and began to bombard the enemy rodent.

Vidia took the mint strips that she'd collected and tied them together carefully. She walked cautiously out on the end of the branch and tied one end of her makeshift rope to the branch. She bounced up and down and the branch bent, but didn't break. The chipmunk started chittering loudly at her, letting her know that the weasel was getting up the tree anyway.

"Toss me some acorns!" Vidia shouted, gesturing. She tucked an acorn in her belt, and held four more in one arm. With the other hand she held firmly to the free end of her rope.

"That's enough!" she called, ducking the next acorn. "Get inside the shelter! Hide! Go!" The chipmunk understood eventually and jumped inside the tree trunk. The weasel stepped smoothly onto the branch and Vidia took a step back.

"Come and get me. Think I'd make a good meal?" she challenged, fighting to hold onto all the acorns. The weasel didn't hesitate, but walked steadily toward her. Vidia waited until he was close enough, then shut her eyes and stepped off the branch. Her arm snapped as taut as the rope when she hit the end, but as she'd planned, she and the acorns were heavy enough to bend the branch downwards. As the branch reached it's limit and started to stop bending, she let go of her rope. She landed on her feet on the ground. "Goodbye!" she shouted, as the branch hurtled into the air, sending the weasel into the air like a projectile.

She dropped all the acorns and collapsed limply to her knees, suddenly limp.

She heard chittering and squeaking, and realized that they were applauding her. The chipmunk bounced over and sat next to her, and the mouse did, too, after a moment. Vidia suddenly noticed that it was a girl mouse.

"Hey, nice to meet you." She patted them both. "I didn't mean to be rude earlier." she said to the chipmunk. "Can you two understand me?" she asked.

Both nodded.

"Do weasels bother you often?"

The chipmunk nodded, emphatically, making his usual chittering noises.

"Well, I've got a fix for that, too. Have either of you been to Pixie Hollow?"

The mouse nodded, but squeaked a few more times, trying to communicate.

"Did they send you back?"

He nodded again.

"Well, what if I take you back to Pixie Hollow with me when I come back through here? It'll just be in a few days."

Both creatures nodded. The chipmunk chittered.

"I can just almost understand you – what were you saying – going where? No, you can't go with me. I'm going to a cave where there are bats. You don't want to come. What are your names, anyway?"

The mouse shrugged.

"Well, I've got a rat friend named Scruffy . . ." Vidia thought for a moment. "Raggedy?"

The mouse shrugged again, then nodded unenthusiastically. "You'll get used to it, dearie. What about you, Stripie?" she asked the chipmunk.

He shook his head, repulsed.

"You've got a good number of acorns. You like them don't you?" Vidia asked. He nodded. "How about Nibbles?"

Nibbles was very happy with his name.

Vidia looked at the sky. "I need to get back to my friends – when I come for you, I'll wait in that tree until you come by, okay? So don't go on vacation."

Raggedy and Nibbles nodded.

"See you later." Vidia left.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia stepped into the camp area.

"Vidia!" Tink called.

"There she is!" Iridessa smiled. "I told you she would be okay."

"We were worried about you, sugar." Rosetta said, seriously.

"Why were you worried?" Vidia demanded. "It's only about . . ." she looked up at the sun. "An hour after I said I'd meet you. Sorry."

"What happened?" Scruffy asked.

"Nothing. Well, I ran into a couple of unfriendly critters."

"You didn't have anything to do with the flying weasel I saw a half-hour ago, did you?" Iridessa was glaring, hands on hips.

Vidia hid a smile and shrugged.

Fawn was also wearing a suspicious expression. "And I came across a trio of really upset wasps . . ."

"_They _were upset?" Vidia snorted in amusement.

"So you did meet them!"

"Couple of unfriendly critters." Vidia repeated, then sighed. "I didn't find the cave entrance. This is hopeless." She sat down.

"Hey, cheer up, Vidia." Silvermist said, kindly. "We'll probably find it this afternoon."

Tinkerbell opened a bag. "Who wants some poppy-puff rolls? Or acorn pancakes? And we have everfruit."

"Ooh! I'd like some acorn pancakes!" Fawn jumped into the air.

They ate quietly until Silvermist sat down next to Vidia. "You know, one of us could look with you, so you won't be slowed down. Scruffy could -"

"No, thanks. I'm fine on my own." Vidia said, stiffly.

"She's right, Vidia." Rosetta reminded. "We don't know what kind of creatures could be around."

"Bats only come out at night." Fawn informed her.

"Thanks, guys, but I'm looking on my own." Vidia brushed off their concerns.

"All right." Tinkerbell said. "We'll meet back here at nightfall."

Vidia pushed off into the grass as the others flew away, Scruffy with them. His pixie dust hadn't worn off yet, but he had been warned to stay near the ground.

She watched the pixie dust trails from her friends fade away, sighed, and moved forward.


	4. The Entrance

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 4**

**The Entrance**

Vidia stood perfectly still. She watched the strange creature without a sound.

The armadillo was just moseying along, and Vidia didn't want to change that.

Suddenly he turned his head and just looked at her. She froze completely and didn't even blink as the creature scrutinized her.

An ant stepped on her foot, and she instinctively jerked back, but the armadillo launched himself several feet in the air.

She stepped back, amazed, and stared wide-eyed at the armored animal who had just landed.

He turned suddenly and started to dig. Vidia stepped back and watched the dirt fly through the air, dotting the area. Suddenly it stopped, and the armadillo was out of sight.

Vidia cautiously walked to the edge of the sizable hole. The armadillo was curled into a ball – like a roly poly bug.

"Hey, have you seen a hole in the ground?" Vidia asked, loudly. She found herself lying on the ground with a clump of dirt on her stomach, and another clump of dirt landed next to her. Then it was flying everywhere. Vidia scrambled out of range before she realized that he wasn't attacking, just digging because he was scared of her.

She sighed and left.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia squinted her eyes against the light of the setting sun.

"Time to go back." She muttered, to no one. She turned abruptly, shuffling her feet, then one unexpectedly stuck.

She cleared the leaves off the root holding her foot down. She wiggled it, trying to get free, then stomped her unrestrained foot in frustration. Suddenly, she found herself falling – down -down . . . she gave a cry as she impacted the ground. She climbed to her feet and looked around. It wasn't until the dust cleared that she realized that she was standing in the entrance to the Shadow Shelter.

"Yes!" Vidia spun around in delight. "I found it! I found the entrance! Fawn! Tink! Scruffy!" she yelled. "I found the entrance! Rosetta, Dessa, Sil! I found it!" she paused a moment. "Hey, Silvermist! Tinkerbell! Iridessa! Scruffy!" she waited, but heard no replies. "Scruffy? Fawn? Rosetta?" she tried to shout louder. She waited longer, but she didn't hear any replies.

"Huh." Vidia snorted. "I don't need them to get back to camp." she began to climb up the side of the cave, but the soil was dry and loose, and it deposited her right where she started, along with a cloud of dust and dirt. She tried again, but didn't get anywhere near the top. Her heart started beating faster and louder.

"Scruffy? Fawn! Tink!" she called again. "Anyone? Help!"

She sat down with her back to the wall. "I'll just wait here for a little while – they'll get back to camp, and then look for me – but I was an hour late last time, so they might give me extra time . . . so I might be here for quite a while . . . Well, that doesn't matter. What could hurt me here, anyway? Things that live in a cave . . . crickets, centipedes – I can take care of those, no problem." she talked to herself in a frightened voice to calm herself down. "Oh, right. Vicious . . . bats." she looked around, nervously. "But bats only come out at – night." she glanced at the quickly darkening sky.

She stood, hearing the grass above her rustle. "Hey, Scruffy, is that you?" she called, trying to disguise her relief. "What took you so long?"

Her visitor poked his long head over the hole.

Vidia's eyes grew wide, and she stepped back instinctively. She'd never heard of a fox eating a fairy, but this fox was not well-fed, and looked at her eagerly – hungrily.

Vidia did her best to dim her glow a little, but didn't have much success.

"Ahh!" she shrieked and jumped back as the fox jumped nimbly into the cave and turned around to look at her.

She pressed her back to the rock and sat down on the ground, pulling her knees to her chest in an effort to make herself smaller.

_At least he'll bruise his nose when he eats me._ She thought, regretfully.

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

Iridessa jumped up as Silvermist landed in the camp. "Did you see Vidia?" she asked, worried.

"Don't worry, Dessa – it isn't actually dark yet, and she was a bit late last time." Fawn reminded.

"But bats come out at night." Rosetta reminded her, nervously.

"What's up with you and bats, Ro?" Fawn asked, grinning. "You have a clear dislike of them."

Tink landed nearby and walked over to them. "That's everyone except – Vidia."

"Sure wish Sera was here." Rosetta said, wistfully. "Scouting fairies hear everything."

"Don't worry, I'm sure she's all right. If she hasn't come when it's dark, we'll go and look for her." Tinkerbell decided.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia had no idea how long she sat there waiting for the fox to make a threatening move.

Something made a scuffling noise up on the ground. "Tinkerbell? Scruffy?" Vidia shouted. "Help!"

Raggedy peeked over the edge.

"Raggedy, run! It's a fox! He'll eat you!" Vidia warned. "Run! Find Tinkerbell and the other fairies."

Raggedy took off, but the fox had seen her, and he jumped out of the hole and raced after.

"Hey, come back here!" Vidia shouted, but neither heard.

**Stand Your Ground**

Silvermist straightened. "Do you guys hear that?"

"It's Vidia!" Rosetta crowed, elated.

"I don't think so." Silvermist responded, with a frown on her face. She listened carefully. "It has four legs – Vidia certainly doesn't."

A mouse raced into the clearing. "Hey, little buddy!" Fawn exclaimed, catching her. "What's the matter?"

The mouse squeaked frantically. "You're talking too fast. Slow down." Fawn instructed calmly.

The mouse squeaked even faster, but Fawn managed to decipher it. "Fly!" she shouted, lifting the mouse into the air with her.

Scruffy jumped into the air, but landed flat on his face, his pixie dust having worn off a while back.

Silvermist and Tinkerbell grabbed him and lifted him up with them.

The fox looked up at them mournfully, then slinked away.

"This mouse says she's seen Vidia!" Fawn told the other fairies. "She's stuck in the fox's den."

"He might be going back there! Tinkerbell exclaimed. "Where is it?"

"Raggedy says she can lead us there on the ground." Fawn translated the squeaks.

"Hey, that's like my name." Scruffy was surprised.

The mouse squeaked some more.

"Raggedy says that Vidia named her." Fawn replied. They landed on the ground and Raggedy pranced away, with the others following.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia ran up the side of the hole and grabbed the edge, but the dirt crumbled in her fingers, and she fell back down. She frowned in determination, and tried again.

She got her arm up over the side and managed to catch hold of a small grass seedling, but only with one hand. She dug her fingers into the ground, trying to get a grip, but the dirt moved with her hand, not holding her still.

"Vidia, let me help!" a hand was laid on hers.

Vidia gasped and let go of the seedling, tumbling down.

She groaned. "Sil, what took you so long?" she repeated her earlier question, but it didn't sound nearly so sarcastic now.

Silvermist flew down and looked around. "You found the Shadow Shelter entrance!" she exclaimed.

"The first good thing that has happened all day." Vidia sighed, and Silvermist gave her a hand back up to the ground.

"We've been really worried again, Vidia." Rosetta scolded.

"Wasn't my fault." Vidia leaned against Scruffy. "Hey, Raggedy!"

Raggedy waved a paw.

"So what do we do next?" Rosetta asked.

A chipmunk raced into the camp and chittered so fast that Fawn couldn't hear him. "Slow down, little guy." she laughed. "What's the problem?"

"Fox."

Fawn turned to Vidia.

"The fox is coming back. Let's get out of here." Vidia led the way on the ground. "Everyone, this is Nibbles." she introduced them when they were a good distance away.

"Vidia, since when do you speak chipmunk?" Fawn demanded.

"Since never. I just guessed because that was the way he chittered when the weasel attacked us." Vidia paused. "Nibbles, Raggedy and I got rid of him together."

"A weasel?" Rosetta squealed. "Oh, my!"

"The fox will probably leave to go hunting in the morning." Fawn said, "We can slip in then."

Vidia nodded. "Shall we go back to the camp?"

"Actually, I snatched up the supplies when the fox came." Iridessa held up a large bag. "This looks like a good place for camp."

They set up camp quickly, and everyone settled down to sleep.

"Hey, Vidia?"

She sat up. "Yeah, Scruffy?"

"Goodnight."

She groaned and lay back down.

"Goodnight, Vidia."

"Cut it out."

"Come on, if you'd just say it, I won't keep you awake any more."

"Goodnight." Vidia said, sulkily.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia opened an eye. "That isn't good." she murmured, looking up at the face of a drooling fox. "Good morning!" she said, quietly.

He put his front paw on her middle, driving the breath from her. She coughed.

She shoved it off. "Scruffy!" she screamed, rolling away from the fox. "Help!"

The fox opened his mouth and lunged.


	5. Battling the Fox

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 5**

**Battling the Fox**

Fawn leapt to her feet. "Hey, big fella!" she exclaimed, reaching toward his nose. His large, furry tail caught her across the chest and knocked her forcefully to the ground.

Vidia rolled away from the fox and scrambled to her feet. She grabbed a large dry leaf lying on the ground and held it up as a shield.

The fox snapped at her, but Vidia shoved the leaf in his mouth and moved farther away.

The fox took a moment to paw the yucky leaf out of his mouth.

"Come on, Dessa!" Silvermist called. They both charged the threatening fox, only to be batted through the air by a paw. Neither landed heavily, but were slightly stunned.

Rosetta seemed to pull a small tree from the ground and she grabbed Scruffy, Raggedy and Vidia in turn and put them high in the plant.

"Sil, Dessa! Come on!" she called.

The fox wasn't ready to give up, though, and rose up on his hind feet to reach for them.

"Tink – what do we do? Think!" Rosetta was panicking.

"Uh – I don't know . . ." Tinkerbell stammered. "Foxes don't like light . . ." she glanced at Iridessa, who had just unsteadily landed on the plant, and seemed dizzy, then at the fox. "They don't like sound - oh! Ro, great big leaves – the biggest you can grow!"

"Comin' right up, sugah!" Rosetta's accent was more pronounced as she grew a plant with enormous leaves.

"Ah." Tink looked at them. "Too big."

"Then take a small one!" Vidia snapped, one arm curled around the stem of the tree, and her other hand was clutching Scruffy's fur. "The rodents are going to fall!"

Tinkerbell tore off a small one and rolled it carefully into a cone shape.

She held it up to her mouth. "Mr Fox!" she called, politely. The leaf magnified her voice. "Please leave!"

The fox cocked his head at her, not understanding her kind tone.

"Let me." Vidia grabbed the leaf. "Beat it, y'overgrown fuzzball! Scram!" she shouted, viciously.

The fox cringed away from the angry and loud noise and slunk away, frightened.

Vidia clapped the loudspeaker back into Tinkerbell's hand. "Nice work. Now will somebody get Raggedy and Scruffy down before they fall and take me with them?"

**Stand Your Ground**

Iridessa landed in the dark cave. "I don't see any passage." she said, confused. "It's a square hole."

"What?" Vidia grabbed the edge and swung herself down. "It was – much bigger yesterday."

"Maybe it just seemed bigger?" Tinkerbell suggested, gently.

"No, I saw it, too." Silvermist insisted. "It went on – that way."

"No, it was this way." Vidia contradicted. "Trust me, I was in here longer."

"I'm certain it was this way." Silvermist turned. "Dessa, some light on this wall?"

Iridessa grabbed a light and turned it to shine on the wall. "Looks like a solid wall to me." she noted.

"Well, so does that one." Rosetta spoke up. Vidia rapped on it with her hand.

"It doesn't sound hollow." Tinkerbell started walking toward Vidia.

"Tink, stay back." Vidia peered at it. "Dessa?"

Dessa turned the light to the wall – it was orange. And furry.

"Fawn?" Vidia said, nervously.

"She's taking Raggedy back to the oak tree, remember?" Rosetta reminded her.

"Who was it that said the fox wasn't supposed to come back?" Vidia asked, grimly.

"I guess foxes are nocturnal." Iridessa said, apologetically.

Vidia stepped back, but the wall shifted, and she stopped.

"What do we do now?" she asked the others.

"Wait for Fawn?" Silvermist suggested.

Fawn suddenly zipped into the cave. "Fox! The fox is right behind me!" she cried.

"Then what's that?" Tinkerbell asked. Suddenly the fox twisted around to stare at Vidia.

"A different fox?" Fawn squeaked.

"Can you tame him?" Vidia asked, stepping back.

"No."

"Then what do we do?" She demanded,

"Fly." Fawn told her.

"Thanks a lot, Fawn." The fawn cocked it's head curiously at the noise of bells.

Vidia jumped back as the fox snapped at her.

Rosetta suddenly dived forward, grabbed Vidia, and flew her from the cave. All the other fairies followed. "Stay here, honey." She instructed, setting her high up in a tree.

"Hey, hang on!" Vidia stepped forward – then realized she should take her own advice. "Where's Scruffy?" she shouted, but wasn't sure that Rosetta could hear her.

She could see the other fairies hovering in the air deciding on a plan of action.

She heard something move in the tree near her.

She turned "Ahh!" she shrieked.

The animal was large, furry and had very large ears.

"Hi!" Vidia said, hopefully.

The creature reached for her with an enormous paw.

Vidia ducked and covered her head, but she knew the animal was much too fast. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited.

She heard a tearing sound, and looked up. He had just torn a leaf off the tree over her head and was chomping on it.

"Oh, so not every animal in the forest is out to get me." Vidia swallowed, trying to slow down her fast-beating heart.

An acorn whizzed past.

Vidia looked up to see a squirrel chittering at her to get out of it's tree.

"As soon as I can, Ma'am." she said, then turned to the other animal. "Or maybe you're the only friendly one."

He reached up over his head to grab another leaf, and she saw the fur going from his elbow to his ankle.

"Oh, you're one of those glider things." Vidia observed. "You can fly." She paused. "That makes one of us."

He tore a piece off his breakfast and offered it to her.

Vidia looked at the leaf in disgust. "No thanks, darling." she pushed his paw away. "You eat it. I'm not hungry." she turned to look at her friends. There was only one fox in the clearing – the one that had been chasing Fawn. They were all safe from it, but trying to get it to go away. Suddenly she remembered that Scruffy was on the ground without pixie dust. He was hiding behind a root, watching.

Vidia suddenly noticed the other fox poking her head out of the cave entrance and catching sight of the rat.

"Oh, no!" Vidia exclaimed. "Scruffy!" she shouted, but he couldn't hear her. "Scruffy!"

**Stand Your Ground**

Scruffy watched the fairies raptly. Silvermist landed on the ground and waved at the fox. "Hey, over here!" she called.

Scruffy's mind flickered to the fox they had seen in the cave, but it hadn't come out yet – maybe it was scared . . .

"Sil, watch out!" Tinkerbell was yelling.

Silvermist darted off the ground as the fox tried to catch her, and got away without a scratch.

"Sil, be more careful!" Iridessa warned.

"Yeah, foxes do eat fairies sometimes." Fawn told her.

Scruffy heard a noise behind him, and turned around to come face to face with a fox who was staring at him, wagging its tail playfully. Scruffy started backing away, but the fox moved forward like a cat, waiting for him to run.

Suddenly a nut bounced off the fox's head. The fox looked around, confused, but Scruffy suddenly noticed a Great Gilder heading toward him.

"AH!" he shouted, but then noticed Vidia on his back, waving toward him. "Vidia? What are you doing up there?"

"Rescuing you from the fox! Hop on!" The glider slowed near him, and Vidia helped him climb on, then the glider continued. Vidia was using a halter made from leaf strips to control the animal.

The glider landed on the branch of an enormous tree. Scruffy and Vidia clambered off, and Vidia took the halter off.

"Thanks."

The glider took off again, floating to a more restful tree.

Scruffy looked at the enormous limb of the tree. It was so far around that it was almost flat on top. "This is one tree we're not going to be _able_ to fall out of." he commented.

"I don't recall falling out of a tree before."

"It's always been a concern of mine." Scruffy confessed. "I don't like heights."

"Never would have guessed." Vidia assured him. Suddenly the ground beneath her feet shifted, and she fell down. "Whoa!" she shouted. A large portion of the tree's bark started sliding off, taking her with it.

"Vidia!" Scruffy extended his tail. "Grab it!"

Vidia grabbed the tail and climbed back up. "Thanks. What were you saying about not being able to fall out of this tree?"

"I take it all back!" Scruffy exclaimed. "Be careful!"

Vidia hastily stepped off a piece of bark which slid off the branch and broke into pieces on the ground.

"Hey, Rosetta!" she shouted. "Tink! Sil!"

The fairies didn't hear her.

"They just have to get rid of the foxes, then they'll come get us." Scruffy sounded like he was assuring Vidia, but she suspected he was assuring himself.

"They _just _have to get rid of the foxes." She repeated, sarcastically. "Did you hear yourself? Fairies don't just 'get rid of' foxes."

"Then what_are _they supposed to do?"

"Get us into the cave." Vidia said, vaguely.

"Yeah. How? The foxes would follow quick as lightning."

"We just need some kind of net – or cover . . ." Vidia walked to the trunk of the tree and grabbed a large piece of bark and pulled it off. She looked at it, then the hole. It was just the right size to fit over it.

"Scruffy, climb down and get me some rocks." Vidia reached up to pull some leaves off the tree.

Scruffy didn't answer.

"Scruffy?" she turned. He held up his stump leg, reminding her. "Oh, yeah. Sorry. I'll get them."

Vidia climbed down the tree, watching carefully for loose bark, then started collecting large pebbles, which she tucked into her belt.

She straightened when she thought she heard someone calling her name, then dismissed it as her imagination and continued working.

A large piece of bark landed next to her. She looked up, annoyed, but Scruffy was pointing behind her.

Her eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder, and out of the corner of her eye she could see a fox.

She swung around and hurled a stone at it with all her might.


	6. Into the Cave

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 6**

**Into the Cave**

Vidia's pebble hit the poor fox square on the nose. It lifted a paw and rubbed the wounded appendage.

"Vidia? I told you to stay in the tree!" Rosetta landed in front of her and grew a prickly cactus. "Fly! - Oh, I mean - run!"

Vidia climbed back up the tree to where Scruffy was waiting.

She used a sharp stone to poke three holes in the bark, two small ones close together, and one large one right in the middle. She made sure the biggest one was large enough that she could fit through, then threaded her leaf-rope through the smaller ones. She tied the rocks to the ends of the rope.

"What is it for?" Scruffy asked, watching intently.

"It's so the foxes can't follow us into the cave." Vidia replied. "Hang on!" she saw a nest nearby, made from strong-looking pine needles. She climbed over to it and tried to pull it out, but it was stuck. She clambered inside the nest and managed to get it loose.

"Ah!" she shut her eyes against the glare of the sun being reflected off of something shiny. She blindly reached over and yanked the metal into the shade. She took a quick look. It seemed like some sort of lost thing. Maybe jewelry. Blinking her eyes rapidly, she shoved it into her bag, thinking it might be useful later.

She climbed out of the nest and back to the bark structure, where she used the pine needle to reinforce the rope.

"Hey! Tinkerbell!" Vidia shouted. "Rosetta! Sil! Dessa! Fawn! Tink!"

Tinkerbell heard her after a few moments, called the other fairies, and came over. The two foxes waited expectantly at the foot of the tree.

"What is it, Vidia?" Tink asked.

"Never mind that – What is _it_?" Rosetta pointed to the bark.

"It's a cap for the entrance so we can get in and the foxes can't." Vidia explained.

"What are the rocks for?" Fawn asked.

"If isn't weighted down they'll just shove it off." Vidia pointed out.

"They might anyway." Iridessa warned.

"But they might not." Silvermist spoke up.

"Let's give it a try." Tinkerbell agreed. "What's your plan?"

"Rosetta, Dessa, distract the fox." Vidia said. "Scruffy and I will need to get into the cave before the lid goes on. That's your job, Fawn."

"Yes, Ma'am." Fawn saluted.

"Tink, Sil, you'll need to lower the cover into place."

"Right." Tinkerbell turned to the others. "You heard her – Ro, Dessa, your cue."

The foxes danced on their hind legs batting at the fairies, but Rosetta pulled a thistly bush from the ground, and Iridessa pushed the mid-morning sunbeams into their eyes.

"Fawn, get going!" Tinkerbell ordered.

Fawn grabbed Scruffy and put him in the cave. "Stay down in case they look." she warned him, then left to get Vidia.

Vidia and Scruffy pressed themselves to the side of the cave so they wouldn't be seen.

"I hope this works." Scruffy said.

"What? You don't have blind faith in my planning abilities?" Vidia joked.

"Look how the hat-flying came out."

"You've got a point." Vidia admitted. They both cringed as a furry tail came down right in front of them.

"I could move forward just an inch and bite it." Scruffy said, wistfully.

"Don't you dare!" Vidia hissed. "Stick to the plan."

Suddenly it started getting darker – darker – darker . . .

Vidia looked up.

"It fits!" she rejoiced, spinning in the dark. "Yes! - ow!"

"Are you okay?" Scruffy asked.

"Stubbed my toes on the rocks. I'm fine."

Silvermist slipped in through the hole. The others followed in quick succession.

"A little light?" Vidia suggested, and Iridessa conjured up a dim light.

Silvermist jumped into the air to fly and came down, landing awkwardly. "Oh!" she exclaimed, surprised.

"I'm low on pixie dust, too." Tinkerbell announced.

Rosetta glanced at Vidia. "We haven't got a whole lot of dust – maybe we should conserve it. We can all walk."

"Sure." Fawn grinned. "It'll be fun."

Vidia started off down the passage. Iridessa hurried to catch up and brighten her light to see around.

"So, did the legends say about anything else that lives in the Shadow Shelter?" Vidia asked, not mentioning the bats.  
"Besides the fairy-killing bats?" Rosetta said, shuddering.

Vidia turned around and walked backwards. "Look, Rosetta. It didn't even say 'fairy-eating'. It just said that he had to fight them."

"Yes!" Silvermist said, cheerfully. "Maybe he provoked them!"

"Right." Vidia said, rolling her eyes.

Suddenly, everyone stopped, except Vidia. "What?" she asked, before she realized that they were all looking above her. She turned around, her head tilted _way_ back. She blinked. "Oh. Hello."

"Maybe it's a nice – inhospitable – angry – giant frog?" Silvermist suggested, but her tone wasn't so hopeful. "Which we - have just – cornered."

"Don't kid yourself, sunshine." Vidia snorted.

"Pixie dust, Dessa?" Tink suggested.

"In my pack. Give me five minutes?" Iridessa said, nervously.

"Don't have five minutes." Vidia hissed. "Run."

The fairies all darted in different directions.

"Fawn, what do you use to get rid of a giant bullfrog?" Vidia called.

"Cave frog!" Fawn replied.

"Huh?" Rosetta sounded confused.

"It isn't a bullfrog – it's a giant cave frog." Fawn corrected her.

"But how do you get rid of it?" Tinkerbell repeated Vidia's question.

"I don't remember – uh . . ."

"Dessa, look out!" Silvermist called.

The frog swiped a paw at her, but Iridessa ducked just in time and scampered away to stand behind Rosetta.

"Fawn, think faster!" Iridessa exclaimed.

"It isn't my specialty!"

"AHH!" both Iridessa and Rosetta ducked as the frog swung a foot where their heads had been. They ran to a small cubby in the wall of the cave, but the enormous frog shot out a long foot, and Iridessa tripped over it, sprawling on the floor.

The cave was plunged into darkness as Iridessa's light disappeared.

"You guys usually glow!" Scruffy whispered to Vidia. "You're usually very bright in the dark."

"They're low on pixie dust." Vidia explained. "We're glowing anyway, but only very faintly. I haven't needed to use pixie dust in ages. I'm probably hardly glowing at all."

"Where's the frog?" Tinkerbell asked. "Dessa, can you get that light back?"

"Yeah, give me a second." The light flared up again, but was suddenly doused.

"Ow!" Iridessa shouted.

"What happened?" Silvermist asked.

"Dessa, are you okay?" Vidia called.

"The frog hit me – I don't think he likes the light." Iridessa paused. "Maybe he doesn't dislike us – he just doesn't want the light?" she suggested.

"Why don't we just try to walk around him without the light?" Fawn agreed.

"Let's give it a try." Rosetta agreed.

Vidia shrieked and jumped backwards as the frog's foot came down forcefully right in front of her.

"He doesn't want the light because we can't see in the dark, and he can!" Rosetta exclaimed. "He can catch us better!"

"Get away from him!" Tinkerbell warned.

"Lemons!" Fawn shouted. "Lemons!"

Everyone stopped.

"Someone grab Fawn!" Rosetta exclaimed. "She's gone batty."

"No, frogs!" Fawn tried to explain.

"Fawn, sugar, where are you?" Rosetta started feeling around. "Just stay where you are and don't overexert yourself . . ."

"I'm not crazy!" Fawn cried. "Frogs hate lemons!"

The frog hopped toward Rosetta.

Tinkerbell caught on. "Rosetta, can you grow a lemon tree?"

"No, I'm sorry, honey." Rosetta backed away from the dark silhouette. "I don't have any pixie dust, and there isn't even half enough room in here to grow a dwarf lemon tree."

Scruffy bravely stepped forward and poked the creature with his nose in the dark.

The frog jumped around and narrowly missed hitting Tinkerbell and Vidia with its large foot.

"It's very cold." Scruffy announced.

"How does that help?" Vidia asked.

"I don't know – you're the fairies – you figure it out." He retorted.

"Hot water!" Fawn decided. "Silvermist, can you bring some water?"

"Coming right up!" Silvermist smiled and a large ball of water hovered next to her.

"Dessa, heat it up!" Fawn said, and Iridessa put a strong light on it. The frog hopped toward them angrily and she put the light out out as soon as the water was hot.

"Vidia, spray it at -" she paused, and everyone was silent.

Vidia realized they were all worried that her feelings were hurt.

"I'm not insulted! Now will someone save us from the giant frog!" she exclaimed, then Silvermist drenched the frog, who made several unhappy croaks, then hopped off down a side tunnel.

"That was close." Rosetta said, relieve.

"Thank goodness that worked." Silvermist spoke up.

"Suppose he comes back!" Iridessa squeaked.

"Don't worry, he won't." Tinkerbell assured her. She glanced at Fawn. "Will he?"

"Well . . ." Fawn said, uncertainly.

"Let's get going." Scruffy suggested. "If any of your feet get tired, you can ride on my back."

"Wouldn't that be awkward? Because you only have three legs?" Tinkerbell asked.

"Three and a half." Vidia and Scruffy spoke simultaneously. He turned and looked at her, surprised and pleased.

She shrugged. "Either way."

"I've gotten more used to only having three and a half legs." Scruffy replied to Tinkerbell. "I'm actually pretty good at it now."

They started off down the tunnel, and had gone a fair distance before they agreed it was time to have lunch.

"There's a bigger area up here." Vidia called back to the others. "Let's stop here."

The others caught up quickly. "Nice rocks." Rosetta sat down daintily on a chair-sized rock.

"What's for lunch?" Fawn asked, eagerly.

Tinkerbell pulled out a bag. "Poppy puffs, acorn pancakes, and everfruit." she announced.

"Sounds wonderful!" Silvermist took some food and sat down on a rock in the shadows.

Tink handed out food to the others.

"It seems a little weird to me that all these rocks are just sitting here like chairs."

"They're very comfy." Iridessa sat down on one.

"I think they are chairs." Vidia knelt to examine one.

"How so?" Tinkerbell set aside her meal.

"They have been carved – I'm sure of it." Vidia got up and looked at another one.

"It does look like it." Tinkerbell agreed. "It must have been a fairy tool."

Vidia went over to look at Silvermist's chair, and Silvermist obligingly got up, but Vidia suddenly threw herself at her friend, knocking them both onto the ground several inches* away.

"Pincers!" Vidia shrieked. "Her chair has pincers!"

*** Inches to fairies are like feet to us.**


	7. Blocked

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material doesn not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 7**

**Blocked**

Everyone snatched up some kind of defense. "Vidia, Sil, are you okay?" Scruffy asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm fine." Silvermist got to her feet.

Vidia nodded, curtly, staring at the overgrown spider. "What is that thing, Fawn?" she asked.

"A scorpion, I think." Fawn guessed. "I've never seen one before."

It took a few incredibly fast steps forward and stopped as everyone else backed up, too.

"Fawn, how do you scare away scorpions?" Rosetta whispered loudly.

"Plant lavender." Fawn said, quickly.

"It's too dark in here – I'll never get it to grow." Rosetta pointed out. "What else?"

"Get a cat?"

"That isn't going to work." Scruffy said, watching the scorpion nervously.

"I don't think it has to." Vidia stepped toward the scorpion. "I think he's afraid of us. Fawn, can you tell him that we aren't going to hurt him and that we're just passing through?"

Fawn obeyed, and the scorpion scuttled away.

"That was strange." Scruffy remarked.

"Yeah, a friendly animal." Vidia seconded, sarcastically. "Really strange."

Silvermist picked up the lunch that she had dropped. "You see? There are some nice cave creatures." She sat down on a rock after making sure it was one.

"Yeah." Vidia sat down on the ground, leaning against Scruffy.

After they finished lunch Rosetta turned to Tinkerbell. "So where are we off to next?" she asked.

"I guess we just keep going straight."

"There isn't any straight." Fawn pointed out. "Straight is into a wall. There's only a right or a left."

Iridessa cleared her throat for attention. "I happen to have copied the map from the book of legends so that we could get into the right cavern." She pulled a piece of parchment from her bag. "It says here – that we go straight." she looked at the wall. "But we can't walk through rock."

"It isn't actually a solid wall." Tinkerbell observed. "It's a wall of unconnected rocks, and it sort of bulges out at the bottom."

"Maybe they piled up some rocks to keep someone from following them." Rosetta said.

"That doesn't make a lot of sense." Vidia shook her head. "The fellow was getting Firebird tears for his injured friend. He wouldn't take time for anything unnecessary."

"Maybe there was a cave in!" Fawn exclaimed.

"And the fairies had to wait to get in, so they carved themselves some chairs." Scruffy suggested. "It all fits!"

"Except for why the rocks aren't moved now." Vidia pointed out. "There should be a passage."

"Unless they never got through. The bats must have chased them out here, and then there was a cave in, and they tried to go back for the vial, but couldn't." Fawn suddenly said.

"So how do we move the rocks to get back through." Vidia asked. "We don't have a lot of time."

"I'll bet some pixie dust would move them." Iridessa spoke up, and turned to rummage in her bag for the bags of pixie dust.

"Hang on!" Scruffy stopped her. "The other fellow who came here before was a fairy, too, so he must have used fairy dust, and he didn't get through. We don't need to waste dust on something that won't move."

"We really don't have a whole lot of dust." Tinkerbell agreed. "We can move them the old-fashioned way. They aren't too big."

"All right." Fawn skipped the the wall and pulled a rock off the top. "Gangway!" she shouted, jumping back as a few other small stones tumbled off.

"Be careful, sugar!" Rosetta exclaimed, stepping back.

Tinkerbell got up. "Come on. It won't take too long if we all pitch in."

"Is there anything I can do?" Scruffy asked.

"I don't think so." Silvermist replied, "Just rest up – there will be something that you'll have to do that we can't sometime soon."

The fairies worked at moving rocks for at least an hour.

"Time for a break." Tinkerbell called. "We can't keep moving rocks forever without rest."

"That's what I'm worried about." Scruffy said, suddenly, as the others sat down, panting.

"What do you mean, Scruffy?" Vidia leaned against him.

"I can't see any difference in how the rocks look now from when you started. What if the cave in wasn't just in the passage? What if no one ever got into the cavern again because it all caved in? The whole Shadow Shelter?"

"That would mean that the vial was crushed." Iridessa realized.

"And the tears would have evaporated a long time ago." Rosetta shook her head. "No. I'm certain the cave in is only in this little bit of tunnel. We'll clear this, and keep walking until we get to the vial."

"Thanks, Ro." Vidia smiled. "But you don't need to coddle me. It was always a futile quest. It just gave me something to do while I waited for the fifteen days to be up."

"I don't think so." Silvermist agreed with Rosetta. "She's right. If it had been an enormous cave-in, it would be recorded in the history book, and they didn't say a word about it."

"See?" Rosetta said, obstinately. "We just have to keep going, and then we'll break through to the other side."

"Or if it takes too long to dig through we could check one of the other tunnels and see if they connect to the cavern where the vial was dropped." Fawn suggested.

"Either way, we'd better get back to work." Rosetta stood. She tugged at a stone on top, but it wouldn't come, so she yanked on one in the middle. It came out beautifully, and Rosetta set it on the ground, but then the other rocks shifted.  
"Ro, look out!" Vidia shouted, then flung herself on the other fairy, knocking her out of the way.

Some of the rocks crashed to the ground and dust filled the air.

"Rosetta, Vidia, are you okay?" Tinkerbell cried.

"Where are you?" Silvermist walked into the cloud of dust then retreated, coughing.

"I'm okay." Rosetta called. "Vidia, are you all right?"

Silence.

Rosetta frowned, worried. "Vidia?


	8. Breakthrough

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 8**

**Breakthrough**

Vidia blinked, trying to see. She was lying on her stomach on the ground. _Did someone call my name?_ She wondered, disoriented._Oh, the rocks fell down – of course someone's worried._

"I'm okay." she called as she tried to get up, but her foot didn't move with her, and only then did she realize that it was pinned by a rock. "Nevermind what I just said - I'm stuck under a rock." she announced, loudly. "Someone help me!"

Silvermist suddenly drenched the area with water, getting rid of all the dust.

"Vidia, are you hurt?" Tinkerbell dropped to her knees and lifted the rock off.

"I think I'm okay." Vidia climbed to her feet, using Scruffy as a crutch. "Except my foot."

"I'm really sorry, sugar." Rosetta put a hand on Vidia's arm.

Vidia moved her arm to avoid contact. "It's fine, Rosetta. Don't give it another thought."

"Rosetta!" Silvermist called. "You broke through the rocks! We can keep going as soon as we widen the gap."

Fawn checked Vidia's foot. "I'll bandage it so it won't swell up. Tink, you and the others should get us out of here. We don't know when the cave frog will return."

Tinkerbell nodded. "Let's get to work."

It only took a few minutes to make the hole wide enough for Scruffy to fit through. Rosetta apologetically volunteered to help Vidia through, but she declined and climbed on her own.

Only when she needed to get down the other side did she see what a steep climb it was.

"Hey, Vidia!" Scruffy was below her. "Jump!"

"Are you kidding me?" Vidia scoffed, nervously.

"Come on! You're a fast-flying fairy. Go for it." Scruffy baited her.

She grinned and jumped, landing on his back comfortably, then started to slide off.

"I could carry you." he offered, in a low voice.

"No, I can manage on my own, thanks." Vidia replied.

The other fairies climbed in.

Scruffy noticed that it was her reputation, rather than her foot, that she was trying to keep intact  
"Please, Vidia? It would really make me feel better for you to ride on me." he said, clearly, so the other fairies could hear.

"Does it bother you that much?" she laughed.

"And it bothers me." Rosetta walked over. "I'd hate to see you stepping on that foot."

"It isn't good for it." Fawn said, loudly.

Iridessa clapped a hand over Fawn's mouth. "Not helping, Fawn. She doesn't like to be ordered around." she whispered.

"And I'd hate to be the one sitting with the rest of you walking." Vidia pointed out.

"Why don't you fairies fly?" Scruffy suggested. "It isn't really safe for all of us to be walking. We never know when we'll meet another unfriendly creature and be unable to get to the fairy dust."

"Scruffy's right." Tinkerbell was already rummaging in Iridessa's bag. She pulled out the pixie dust and gave a small bag to each fairy.

"Please ride, Vidia." Scruffy pleaded.

Vidia snorted a laugh. "All right. You've gone to so much trouble to make sure that I do, I'd better just go ahead."

"Great!" Tinkerbell jumped into the air. "Let's go."

They started off.

"Now we're even, huh?" Vidia leaned forward and spoke into Scruffy's ear. The other fairies were consulting on something they had all done together a while back.

"What do you mean? Even?" Scruffy frowned, but lowered his voice appropriately.

"We both have a foot out of action."

"No, it isn't even. I only have ¼ of my feet injured. You have ½ of your feet injured."

Vidia thought about that. "Not only are you a talking rat, but did I tell you before that you're brilliant?"

"What did you say?" Scruffy said, surprised.

"You are _not_ getting me to repeat that." Vidia said, sitting back up.

"It's lighter ahead." Iridessa said, surprised. "That means -"

"There's another way out!" Tinkerbell finished.

"That must be the cavern!" Fawn landed as they came out of the tunnel into an _enormous_ cavern.

"Wow, that's big!" Scruffy exclaimed.

Vidia looked up and saw a beautiful purple rock on the ceiling that perfectly matched her outfit. _If I had wings I would fly up there as fast as I could and touch it, then race back. The others wouldn't have time to realize I was gone. _She grinned at the thought, but then shook herself back to the present. "Iridessa, can you make a light so that we can look for the vial?"

"Sure." Iridessa made a bright ball of light.

"Let's spread out and look for anything shiny on the ground." Tinkerbell took charge. "Fawn, that way, Ro, over there, Sil, go that way. Dessa, just try to give us all some light. Scruffy, Vidia, go on straight ahead. Yell if you see it."

Vidia's eyes swept the ground. She didn't want to find the vial a second later than was necessary. Her heart pounded, and she suddenly realized this was what they had been searching for. They'd finally reached the cavern.

Tinkerbell glanced at Vidia and Scruffy, then started looking.

"I see something!" Vidia pointed. "Over there, Scruffy!"

Scruffy followed her directions and came over near a shiny stone. "It's just a rock."

Vidia sighed, disappointed.

"Did you say something, Vidia?" Iridessa called from high above them.

"False ala – Dessa – look out!" Vidia screamed.

A bat was diving down at her from the ceiling.

Another suddenly unattached itself from the wall and attacked Scruffy. Vidia was knocked off and rolled across the rock floor.

She slammed into a large rock sitting on the floor. Only after a moment did she see the crack between it and the floor. Underneath sat the vial.


	9. Vial of Tears

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 9**

**Vial of Tears**

_She slammed into a large rock sitting on the floor. Only after a moment did she see the crack between it and the floor. Underneath sat the vial._

She reached for it, scraping her fingers, but her hand didn't fit.

"Dessa – it's the light! Dim the light before any more wake up!" Fawn was yelling.

Iridessa dimmed the light just enough that they could still see. "How many are awake?" Scruffy asked, backing toward the wall.

"Five!" Tinkerbell answered. "Sil, Ro, get over here!"

"Scruffy!" Vidia shouted. "I've found the vial!"

"Then get out with Scruffy!" Tinkerbell replied.

"Yeah, hop on!" Scruffy said.

"It'll take me a minute to grab it. You go find the way out!" she called. "I'll be there in a moment."

Vidia tried again to squeeze her fingers in and grab the vial, but in vain. In a cave there were no twigs or blades of grass to use.

She looked up. Silvermist was using water against her bat, Rosetta was using a branch of cactus as a shield. Tinkerbell had constructed a catapult and was hurling stones at her opponent. Fawn was using her knowledge of bat-flying tactics to keep away from them. Iridessa was using as little light as possible to irritate that one's eyes. She – Vidia's eyes went to her bag.

"Dessa! Drop your bag!" Vidia shouted.

Iridessa obeyed. Vidia limped over to it as fast as she could manage, and pulled out a bag of pixie dust.

She ran back to the rock and smeared the dust on the bottom of the rock as quickly as she could.  
"Sure hope this works." She shut her eyes, tensely.

She opened them, and the pixie dust had lifted it several inches.

She reached underneath just as the rock crashed back to the ground.

Vidia clutched her hands to her chest, feeling extremely pleased to still have them. She looked back underneath and saw that the crack was still there, but the vial had rolled toward the edge. She reached underneath and managed to grab it. She pulled it out, feeling that it was too good to be true.  
"I have it." she said, dumbfounded. "I have it!" she shouted.

"Get out! We'll be right there!" Fawn instructed. "Stay with Scruffy!"

Vidia gimped across the ground to where she had last seen Scruffy. "Scruffy?"

"Out here, Vidia!" Scruffy's voice came from her left. She smiled in relief as she saw the door.

"Almost there!" Vidia called, speaking too early.

She heard a noise behind her, and turned in time to duck the large black bat. She turned around, only to be knocked onto her back unbelievably fast.

Lying on her back with a bat standing beside her she suddenly realized exactly how sharp teeth bats had.

She held the vial tight in one hand and reached to one side with her other hand she snatched up a rock and threw it. It hit the bat on the forehead. She didn't have enough power behind it to seriously hurt the bat, but he jumped into the air, screaming in an incredibly high-pitched note.

"Vidia, are you all right?" Rosetta landed next to her.

"Yeah – I think so." Vidia gripped the vial tight. "Look out!"

"I know!" Rosetta jumped into the air and brandished the cactus. "We're doing fine! Get out! We'll follow you in a minute."

Vidia hesitated, then climbed up to the hole in the wall and jumped out. Her foot stung as she impacted the ground, and she paused, lifting it off the ground, but then she spotted Scruffy.

"I've got it, Scruffy!" she cried, untroubled like he'd never seen her before. She was beaming without a trace of sarcasm or cynicism.

She was limping, but he knew that in a few minutes she'd be walking on air like a real fairy.

"I'm so glad, Vidia!" he told her as she threw her arms around him and laughed.

Suddenly she felt wind on her back.

"That's Tink and the others, isn't it?" she asked, squeezing her eyes shut. "_Please_ tell me that's Tink and the others?"

Scruffy didn't reply.

Vidia pulled away from him and turned around to face the enormous hawk in front of her. He was larger even than the one who had started the whole disaster.

"Come to finish the job for your cousin?" Vidia asked, grimly. "Good luck."

"He doesn't need luck to finish us off." Scruffy pointed out. "We have nowhere to hide and we have no weapons."

"Oh, yeah?" Vidia picked up a piece of bark and threw it, hard, at the hawk. He flung a wing forward and batted it away.

Vidia looked around, but the ground was clear, and the tall grasses and trees were far away. They couldn't make it there before the hawk. And he knew it.

"Fix your wings."

Vidia paused, startled. "What?"

"Drink the Flamebird tear and grow your wings back." Scruffy told her. "Then fly for your life."

"I don't have any pixie dust."

"Then use the wings to help you run faster. With wings you can get to forest before the hawk, can't you?"

"Yes."

"Then drink the tear."

"I can't take you with me." Vidia said.

"I can't make it to the woods. I could've before – but not now. Not three-legged." Scruffy shook his head. "You need to go."

"He'll kill you." Vidia was upset to hear him skip the half-leg.

"He might follow you." Scruffy's voice was without hope.

"You know he won't. You're a bigger meal."

The hawk suddenly hopped forward, and both of them jumped back. Scruffy moved toward her.

"Vidia, you don't have a choice." he murmured.

"You're right." Vidia murmured. She quickly uncorked the vial, but was slow to raise it to her lips.

_'Not three-legged'. The hawk is counting on that, I'll bet. He knows that both of us are injured. _Vidia looked at Scruffy.

She pried open Scruffy's mouth and poured the tear down his throat.

"Vidia!" Scruffy choked, horrified.

Vidia stepped away, tears welling in her eyes.

"Vidia, you didn't just -" Scruffy could not sort out the words.

Vidia watched as his leg grew back into a healthy foot with sharp claws.

_My wings could be doing that right now._

She climbed onto his back. "I'm putting my life in your paws. Get us to the trees."

He tore across the ground.


	10. End

**Disclaimer: All recognizable subject material does not belong to me.**

**Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears**

**Chapter 10**

**End**

Tinkerbell was already outside and others started retreating. Silvermist went through the hole just before Rosetta did.

"Where's Vid -" she stopped.

A hawk was just taking off from the ground.

"He ate her!" Fawn breathed. "That evil creature!"

"No!" Silvermist cried. "They must have gotten away."

Iridessa looked around. "I don't see them."

The hawk sailed majestically into the sky and leaving five terrified fairies standing on the ground. If he had noticed them it would have been a different story.

"Vidia!" Fawn screamed. "Scruffy!"

Nothing moved.

"No." Tinkerbell breathed. "They can't be gone."

"Who is that?" Iridessa pointed toward the woods.

"It's Scruffy!" Fawn shouted. They took off flying toward him.

Fawn's eyes widened as she landed before him. "Where's Vidia?" she demanded, frightened.

"I left her at the edge of the woods." he answered.

"Is she okay?" Iridessa asked.

"Depends on what you mean by okay." Scruffy replied, sadly. He lifted a paw from the ground.

"Is your paw okay?" Silvermist asked, kindly.

Tinkerbell understood. "You have four paws!"

Rosetta was the first one to land next to Vidia, who was . . ._crying?_

"Oh, sugar!" Rosetta said, tenderly. "Don't cry, honey."

"I'm not crying!" Vidia wiped away the telltale tears and jumped to her feet. "I want to go home." she shifted her weight off of her bad foot.

"We'll start off first thing in the morning -" Tinkerbell assured her.

"I want to go now." she said,

"Just fairy-dust me." Scruffy said, suddenly. "I'll take her to Pixie Hollow. It's the least I can do."

"You don't owe me anything." Vidia said, obstinately. "You saved me more times than I can count."

"You gave up your only chance at wings for me. I owe you." Scruffy assured her.

"We're all going to take you back, Vidia." Tinkerbell told her. "Dessa, some pixie dust for Scruffy?"

"Coming right up." Iridessa's voice didn't have the spirit it did before.

There was an awkward pause as Iridessa put the dust on Scruffy.

"Don't worry, Vidia." Tinkerbell said, trying to sound cheerful. "I've already got a few ideas for a flying -"

"Tinkerbell." Vidia said, condescendingly. "Thanks, darling, but don't. Just leave it." she ended, harshly.

Tinkerbell moved back.

Vidia climbed onto Scruffy's back, then twisted around to look at her. "Tink?"

"Yes?" Tinkerbell answered, quickly.

"You know I didn't mean what I just said, right?" she tried to find a way to take back her words without being polite.

Tinkerbell understood, and smiled. "I figured."

"Good." Vidia turned back around.

"Next stop, Pixie Hollow!" Scruffy announced.

"Don't say that!" Vidia exclaimed. "Remember what happened when I did." She smiled, but it was an empty smile.

**Stand Your Ground**

Vidia slid off Scruffy's back, safe on a branch of her Sour Plum Tree.

"Goodnight, Vidia." Tinkerbell called, as she was the last of the fairies to leave.

Vidia offered a stern expression, then turned back to Scruffy.

There was an awkward silence.

"You would not believe how terrible I'm feeling right now." Scruffy admitted.

"You shouldn't. I poured that tear in your mouth and I'm not sorry." Vidia said, bluntly. "I like you, and I didn't want you to die. I expect you to help me sometimes, as you can fly and I can't, but I made a choice and it was the right one."

Scruffy looked at the vial and burst into tears.

"Oh, shut up." Vidia said, in a kind tone. "Don't be a crybaby. I'm the one who's crippled for the rest of my life."

Scruffy cried louder.

"Sure wish Fawn was still here." she muttered, "Scruffy, it's okay. I'd rather have you alive to cry for me than any only 'Flamebird' tear." She uncorked the vial and let a few of Scruffy's tears slip inside. "I'd much rather have these than one hundred year old ones." she put the cork back in.

Scruffy started to settle down. "Can I come over tomorrow morning?"

"If you knock on the door and I slam it on your whiskers, that's no. Otherwise, yes."

"Goodnight, Vidia." Scruffy glanced back at her out of habit.

"No, Scruffy. Not tonight." Vidia said, shaking her head. "Nothing could make this night in any way 'good'."

Scruffy nodded. "I know. Thank you, Vidia. Thank you so much."

She nodded, face impassive.

Scruffy finally left, bouncing through the air like a confused balloon.

Vidia watched him until he was out of sight, then she exploded into action. She went into her home and dumped everything from her bag, then repacked it very quickly.

She pulled an old, dusty book from under her bed and flipped it open, browsing through until she reached the right chapter.

"The Legend of the Monster." she read aloud. "And the Firebird that Never Returned." She silently read the first few lines of the story, then shut the book and dropped it in her bag, which she slung over her shoulder.

She scribbled a note on parchment and left it on her bed, then left the house and shut the door firmly.

She climbed down the Sour Plum Tree, ignoring the pain in her foot, and walked up the path. Something moved in the bushes nearby, and she whirled, on her guard out of habit.

She shut here eyes and smiled. _You're being paranoid. This is Pixie Hollow. Nothing dangerous lives here._

She kept walking.

Vidia climbed up onto a small hill and glanced across Pixie Hollow at the Pixie Dust Tree. She imagined Scruffy sleeping soundly in a rat-bed.

"Goodnight." she said, softly.

She turned and walked away.

**And here ends Stand Your Ground: Firebird Tears. The sequel is up.**

**See my profile for chronological order of my Vidia stories. Thanks, M.J.J.**


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